


The Pact

by Snapescapades



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:54:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27709333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snapescapades/pseuds/Snapescapades
Summary: “Well,” Lupin says, “It seems like your definition of ‘people you care about’ has changed.”
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Kudos: 4





	The Pact

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt was Snupin, in which Severus is viciously angry but also wants to snog Remus. This was such fun to write. It's approximately 80% swear words. Totally un-beta’ed, practically un-edited… all that good stuff.

It took six steps to reach the middle of the corridor. Six large, furious, pursuing steps, anyway. On a normal day, it probably would have taken twenty.

When Severus had spotted Remus Lupin disappearing down a deserted sixth-floor corridor, something had jolted awake in his chest, and all the fury of the weeks before had shot straight to Severus’ head. Sure, he had sat politely through the meeting with Dumbledore with nary a word out of line, but he needed to set things right. He needed to show those gormless wankers that he was a force to be reckoned with. So, he found himself bolting down the corridor after Lupin almost before he knew what he was doing.

“LUPIN!” Severus bellowed, and by the time Lupin had turned to see who was yelling, Severus was on him, shoving him hard into the cold stone wall behind him. Ignoring Lupin’s shout of surprise, Severus grabbed the collar of Lupin’s robes and yanked them up by Lupin’s ears, effectively pinning him in place.

“Thought you’d just go wandering around on your own at night, did you, Lupin?” Severus snarled.

“Let go of me! What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

The sound of Lupin’s whinging little voice made Severus clench his jaw. The last time he heard that voice, it was calmly telling Dumbledore that, no, it had no idea that Sirius had sent Snape into the Shrieking Shack after it. It was innocent. That voice was a fucking liar.

“Awfully late to be out alone, isn’t it? I’d say it’s nearly curfew….” Heat was rolling through Severus in waves, sending his heart pounding. Lupin started to struggle, gripping Severus’ wrists to try to force them away from his face. Severus shifted position, shoving his fist deep into the side of Lupin’s neck. Lupin’s eyes widened.

“What do you want from me? Are you mad? Let go!”

“I want you to promise me some—“ Lupin was struggling.

“—Gerroff me—“

“I WANT YOU TO— _FUCKING_ —PROMISE ME SOMETHING.”

Lupin froze. Severus leaned in closer, teeth bared. “You listen to me, Lupin,” he whispered, “I am so fucking sick of you and your cack-handed cronies getting the final word about ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.” He gave Lupin’s robes a swift tug for emphasis, and ground his voice even lower and tighter. “But don’t you think that just because you can lick up to Dumbledore, that your sorry arse is fucking free from recompense.”

Every muscle in Severus’ body was shaking. He braced his legs wide, nearly all his body weight pushing forward, holding Lupin back against the wall. Lupin still had that perpetually-stunned expression on his stupid, _stupid_ face. It made Severus want to hit him. He could feel Lupin’s pulse underneath his fingers, where they pressed into Lupin’ neck. Severus’ gaze slid down unwittingly. Why did Lupin always have to keep his mouth open all the fucking time? His bottom lip was disconcertingly full and pink, more like a girl’s than a bloke’s, and he _bit_ it whenever he was thinking hard in class. Severus had watched him do it just earlier that day, hoping Lupin would bite through, hoping for blood to come dripping, pouring out of that perfect mouth….

“What the hell do you want from me?” Lupin croaked. 

Severus snapped back to attention. “I want you to know,” he said, “that if you EVER hurt anyone I might care about—do you know who I mean, Lupin?” He shook him again.

“I—Yes. I think so. You and Lily— _Ouch! Gerroff me—_ “

“— _Anyone I might care about_ , you will find yourself out on your arse so fast.” Severus savored the words. “I’ll tell everybody about your dirty little secret, and you won’t ever get a job again; you won’t ever get to be anything to anyone ever again. Do you understand me?”

“YES! Merlin, I already said I’d never—“

“I don’t give a shit what you said to Dumbledore, you twit. _That rhymes_ , Severus thought, _Fuck_. “Everyone knows you and your mates are nothing but Dumbledore’s slags.”

One of Lupin’s fists knocked hard against Severus’ chin, too close to be a proper punch but startling nonetheless. Severus stepped back. Stumbled back. Lupin started to shout something, but Severus’ wand was out of his sleeve and trained on Lupin’s face before he could emit more than a disgusted “ _You—!_ “

A bolt of fear had shot through Severus. For a split second, he had caught a glint in Lupin’s eye that took him back to that night in the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack. The werewolf. _Innocent_. Ha. That voice was a fucking liar. Severus pointed his wand right at Lupin’s stupid cupids-bow mouth, and wondered what he could do to Lupin that might even come close to paying back the terror of that night. Could he threaten the safety of Lupin’s friends? Or perhaps turn Lupin so that he faced the wall, and threaten Lupin himself, in a different way….

Severus took another step back.

Both boys were breathing hard, sizing each other up. Finally, Lupin looked frightened, rather than simply bewildered. Severus in a fistfight was unusual, but Severus in a dual was dangerous. Severus could tell that Lupin knew better than to reach for his own wand, as Severus would curse him the moment his hand moved toward his pocket.

“What do you _want_ Snape?” Lupin sounded exhausted, wary. “I’ve already said I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“I want you to promise me. I want a… a pact. Where you don’t hurt the people— _person_ —I care about and I don’t ruin the rest of your fucking life.”

“Dumbledore already made you swear not to tell anyone.”

“Fuck Dumbledore.”

“Then yes. Fine!” He wanted to say, _stop cursing._

“Swear it!”

“All right! I swear that I will never attack anyone in my… other form. Ever. Okay?”

“And I swear in return, Lupin, that if you ever do attack anyone, or risk attacking anyone, _that I care about_ , as I said, I will go against my word to Dumbledore and do exactly what you are all so fucking terrified I’ll do.”

Lupin was ghastly white in the dimly-lit corridor. “Okay.” He said. “Okay.”

Severus stepped back again, his wand dropping slightly. “Well… okay then.”

All the fight seemed to have drained out of Severus; He was unsure how to end the confrontation he had started. He wished Lupin would stop looking like he’s just watched a thousand puppies being slaughtered. _You always look like a Hufflepuff who’s taken too much Calming Draught. Can’t you go back to looking like that, you idiotic bell-end?_

Lupin reached up to straighten his robes, darting tiny glances at Severus, who was still standing there like he was trying to remember something else he had wanted to say. Lupin didn’t know how to leave, either. What if Severus cursed him as he was walking away? He wouldn’t consider Severus above it.

Severus watched Lupin straighten his robes. _Pianist hands—Stop it! Don’t think like that!_ Lupin’s top lip was buckled upward, like a baby’s. It just wasn’t fair. Severus stepped back. Stumbled back. And then turned and walked down to the end of the corridor, wand still tight in his hand.

And disappeared.

* * *

Severus stands behind the High Table like a sentinel. He wants to watch Lupin leave the building, once and for all. From his place on the platform, at the front of the Great Hall, he can see all the way to the main doors that lead out of the castle.

A soft thumping comes from the Entrance Hall, and the next moment, Lupin appears through the doorway, wearing a long, tweedy travelling cloak and surrounded by trunks, which bob around him at waist height. Severus stills, half hoping that Lupin will leave without noticing him; half hoping that Lupin will turn and see him there.

Lupin does. He looks at Severus for a long moment, and then, to Severus’ surprise, leaves his trunks and walks all the way up the Great Hall to the base of the High Table platform. He gives Severus a tight smile.

“Well,” Lupin says, “It seems like your definition of ‘people you care about’ has changed.”

“It certainly seems so.”

Even a foot beneath him, Lupin still looks like a predator. Still looks like something that needs to be restrained.

Lupin smiles, open-lipped. “Thank you for making Wolfsbane for me, all those months.”

“I didn’t do it for _you_ , Lupin, believe me.” This is what Lucius calls _Severus’ liquorice voice;_ Severus is not sure why he feels the need to deploy it on Lupin.

“All the same, thanks.” Lupin is already turning away. Already heading towards to double sets of doors, through which, as Severus has promised, he will never find another job again.

When Lupin is half way down the hall, Severus calls out, “It’s a shame you couldn’t remember to take it.” He flushes instantly. Why did he have to call out to him? Now Lupin will turn around, and surely he will see Severus’ embarrassment.

But Lupin doesn’t turn around. He doesn’t even break stride. Instead, he raises a careless hand over his shoulder in salutation, waves his wand at his trunks, and follows them through the massive hewn doors out of the castle.

The castle doors boom closed, the sound echoing in the empty stone hall. There is quiet, then. Distantly, teenage laugher rises and falls away. Summer sunlight drains through every window like something liquid.

Severus lets out a long breath and uses his robes to wipe the palms of his hands, where a thin, slick sheen of sweat has formed.


End file.
